Ji-un thought.
‘I’m… really such an idiot.’
His spine tingled with horror at the fact that, because of his own mistakes, the people of his sect had nearly burned alive.
‘What… what have I done…’
Only now, standing at death’s door, did he finally awaken from his stupidity.
It felt like waking from a fleeting dream.
But it was already too late.
The sword coming at him was moving too fast for him to block or dodge.
At this rate… he would…
But if this could count as atonement…
He closed his eyes.
Clang—!
But then, an unexpected sword sound rang out. Ji-un opened his eyes in shock.
“Sect Leader!”
The Sect Leader was standing in front of him.
Unlike his usual gentle and cheerful face, his expression was now cold and sharp.
“No matter who you are… I cannot allow anyone to lay a hand on a disciple of the Thorn Gate Sect.”
Ji-un realized the Sect Leader had just saved him from the assassin’s attack. His eyes widened in disbelief.
The assassin spoke in a cold voice.
“Just so you know… that disciple you just saved is the one who deliberately spread the plague in this sect.”
“I know.”
At those words, Ji-un was shocked again.
He knew!
And yet… he still saved him.
“Even so, what can I do? Whether I hate him or not… he is a disciple I must bear responsibility for.”
“You’re… remarkable.”
“Judging by how you say that… I guess your master isn’t like that.”
“…”
The assassin couldn’t answer.
The one he served was someone who never forgave failure.
That was why…
Slam—!
The assassin kicked off the ground and swung his sword at the Sect Leader.
Clang—! Clang clang—!
After just a few exchanges, the assassin realized it.
The gap in skill between him and the Sect Leader was overwhelming.
But… he couldn’t leave empty-handed now.
Then the Sect Leader spoke.
“Are you planning to die here?”
“…”
“So you are. Then do me a favor. Tell me what you know.”
“And if I tell you… what will you do? I’m a dead man anyway.”
“I’ll let you fight as a proper warrior, not as an assassin.”
At that, the assassin chuckled.
Truthfully… it wasn’t like he’d wanted to live as an assassin either.
He had once been a proper martial artist. He’d long grown sick of the assassin’s life.
That was why… he accepted the offer.
“Fine. I don’t know much, but…”
He started explaining what he knew.
The Thorn Gate Sect had become an eyesore to the Alliance Leader.
The plague was indeed created by the Tang Clan of Sichuan, just as the Ragged Sage Physician suspected.
The failure of this operation had enraged the Alliance Leader.
“That’s… all I know.”
“That’s plenty.”
The assassin continued.
“So… what now?”
“What can we do? All we can do… is accept that this happened… and keep living.”
The Sect Leader sighed.
“I’m sure even the Alliance Leader had his reasons for this.”
“…”
The Sect Leader raised his sword and said,
“Draw your sword. And give it everything you’ve got.”
The assassin nodded and raised his sword.
“I am Dojin, Sect Leader of the Thorn Gate Sect. Your name?”
“My name is… Yeon Gye-seung.”
For a moment… the air fell deathly silent, as if even breathing was forbidden.
About half an incense stick’s time passed.
Slam—!
Slash—!
The two vanished from sight… and then reappeared on opposite sides.
The Sect Leader glanced at his sleeve.
Half of it was sliced clean off. Seeing that, he chuckled.
“Farewell… Warrior Yeon Gye-seung.”
Thud.
The assassin fell to his knees.
Smiling, he said,
“Thank you… A Sect Leader like you… How enviable.”
And with that… his body collapsed.
The Sect Leader looked at the fallen man, then turned to Ji-un.
“Your seniors are worried about you.”
“Huh?”
“They say… your behavior’s been strange lately.”
“S-Strange? But I… I’ve been acting like I always do.”
“Do you really think I wouldn’t notice? We’ve lived together in this sect for years.”
“…”
“We just figured… you must’ve had your reasons.”
At those words… Ji-un collapsed to the ground and wailed.
“I’m sorry… I… I… Waaaah…”
“Enough. Get up. The ground’s cold.”
“Sect Leader… Waaaah…”
“Hahaha.”
The Sect Leader gathered some wood and lit a fire. Soon, thick smoke began spreading in all directions.
Up in the tree.
I’d been watching everything.
The Thorn Gate Sect’s Sect Leader… was truly an incredible person.
The very definition of compassion.
The Sect Leader looked up at me.
I nodded back.
He led Ji-un back toward the pavilion. Only then did I quietly descend from the tree.
Tap.
I walked over to Yeon Gye-seung, who had collapsed on the ground.
The firewood was burning, but… that wasn’t to burn his body. It was just meant to make others think that.
Yeon Gye-seung… wasn’t dead.
The Sect Leader hadn’t killed him.
Well… technically, he only promised the man a fair fight as a martial artist. He never promised to let him die. So… it wasn’t breaking his word.
It was… exactly the kind of thing a Sect Leader would do.
I recalled the voice transmission the Sect Leader had sent me earlier while I was in the tree.
— What a waste of talent. Is there really no way to save him? He came here to kill my disciple… but it doesn’t seem like it was truly his choice.
“…”
— I’ll use the smoke to fool those watching us right now.
I nodded then as a signal of agreement.
That’s when the smoke had started.
Once we confirmed the watchers had left, I climbed down.
I slung the unconscious Yeon Gye-seung over my shoulder.
The Ragged Sage Physician’s definitely gonna nag me about this.
But… when I watched that man’s swordplay earlier… I had a strange thought.
It looked… strangely similar to the sword techniques I practice.
No… that’s probably just my imagination.
.
.
.
A few days later.
It was time for the Ragged Sage Physician and me to leave the Thorn Gate Sect.
We couldn’t stay here forever.
For the martial artists who had come to this sect, we left behind a recipe for the medicine.
Because… the ingredients were running out. And we couldn’t keep making endless batches.
The Sect Leader gave both me and the Ragged Sage Physician a jade token.
“What’s this?”
“This is a token we give to those who’ve done great service for the Thorn Gate Sect. It means… if you ever need help, we will answer.”
I had no choice but to tuck the jade token into my chest, faced with those resolute eyes that clearly said refusal was not an option.
“And as you advised, we’ve decided to keep silent about this matter.”
“That’s a wise decision.”
The Thorn Gate Sect was a small sect.
If something like this ever happened again, no one knew what might become of them. So they chose to keep their heads down.
That’s why the Sect Leader said, ‘The Alliance Leader must’ve had his reasons,’ when speaking with Yeon Gye-seung.
But it didn’t mean submission.
When the time came… they’d bare their fangs.
As I left the Sect Leader’s residence, a young disciple ran over.
It was the child who’d been so happy to receive the name Gusi.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yeah. It’s time to go.”
“Please come visit us again.”
“I will. So eat well, sleep well, and train hard. Got it?”
“Yes!”
The child nodded.
“And… I got my name today!”
“Yeah?”
“Yes. My name is Guhwi now.”
Guhwi (救輝). It means ‘the light that saves.’
“That’s a wonderful name.”
As we passed through the courtyard, I spotted Ji-un.
Apparently… he’d decided to take on cleaning the latrines for the next thirty years.
A punishment he chose for himself.
And so, the Ragged Sage Physician and I, along with our group, left the Thorn Gate Sect, escorted by the disciples.
.
.
.
We reunited with the others waiting in Yichang.
Seven days later.
We finally arrived at the Eunhae Merchant Group.
There was a massive crowd gathered in front of the merchant hall.
“Line up, please!”
“Snowmist Grass, this way! White Tiger Bellflower, over here! Snow Ginseng, that way!”
“Other herbs, line up over here!”
“Hey! Get in line! If you keep pushing, the scary guards are gonna show up!”
“You! No cutting in line!”
“The auction will start soon!”
Thankfully, we came through the back gate, so we avoided the crowd and got inside safely.
“Congratulations on the safe return of the Chief and your party.”
It seemed they’d been informed in advance. Deputy Yeo Chang-ui and several others had come to greet us.
“What… What in the world is all this?”
“This is all thanks to you, Handsome Young Hero.”
Ugh… That nickname spread all the way here too.
“Huh? Thanks to me? What do you mean?”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Actually…”
The escort explained everything.
When word got out that the ingredients used to treat the plague in Yichang and the Thorn Gate Sect were in the Eunhae Merchant Group, people from all over rushed here.
“So the Merchant Lord and the rest of the family are busy beyond belief right now.”
“So that’s why they couldn’t come out to greet us.”
“Exactly. And… who is this gentleman?”
I grinned.
“This is the Ragged Sage Physician.”
“Gasp!”
Deputy Yeo bowed deeply in shock.
“It is an honor to meet the renowned Sage Physician.”
“I’m Deputy Yeo of the Virtuous Wind Department.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
I turned to the deputy.
“Is Father inside?”
“Yes, he is.”
I looked to the people who’d traveled with me.
“Thank you all for your hard work. You can head back and get some rest now. Dismissed.”
“Thank you for your efforts!”
The group dispersed.
All that was left was Palgap, the two escort guards, and the man with the bamboo hat who had followed me.
I spoke to them.
“I’ll go meet Father. Head to the Munghok Hall first.”
“Understood!”
The Ragged Sage Physician and I then made our way to Father’s office.
Those who arrived at the Munghok Hall started unpacking.
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Yes?”
“You should wash up first.”
At Palgap’s suggestion, the man grabbed a clean set of clothes and stepped into the bath.
As warm water washed over him, it finally sank in.
He was no longer in the Murim Alliance.
He was now in the Eunhae Merchant Group.
His name… was Yeon Gye-seung.
Once an assassin under the Murim Alliance Leader.
But that name was now useless. He was going to live as someone else.
He’d fought a duel with the Sect Leader of the Thorn Gate Sect. When he opened his eyes afterward, a young man stood beside him.
And that man had made a shocking offer.
That he’d help him live a new life. One not as an assassin.
When he asked why… the young man, Eun Seo-ho, smiled and answered,
“This isn’t my favor. It’s the Sect Leader’s. If you want to know why… ask him the next time you meet.”
In the end, he chose to accept the offer.
He was a dead man anyway.
If he was going to die… he figured he could be a little greedy.
Just for a few days, or maybe a few months… he wanted to live proudly.
And… if he dared hope a little more… he wanted to find that person.
The one he’d been searching for.
He wanted to tell them what happened that day.
Because now… there was no one else left alive who knew.
Father treated the Ragged Sage Physician with great hospitality.
He watched as the Sage Physician followed the deputy to his quarters, then turned back to me.
“So… do you like the title ‘Handsome Young Hero’?”
“It’s… burdensome.”
“Still, treasure it. Not just anyone earns a title like that.”
“I’m gonna polish it until it shines.”
Father chuckled, clearly pleased.
“Honestly… when you started raiding the merchant group’s herb stock, I had no idea what you were thinking. But… it all made sense now.”
“Huh?”
“People who didn’t care much for those elixirs before… suddenly started lining up for them. We ended up holding auctions. They said it wasn’t just a cure but also prevented the plague if taken in advance.”
Well… that was technically true.
“So… how much profit did we make?”
Father told me the numbers from the elixir auctions.
“…”
Hearing it… I was speechless.
“Is… Is that real? We made that much?”
“Filthy rich!”
Father’s grin reached the sky.
I figured there’d be some buzz about the herbs… but I didn’t expect people to throw that much money at it.
“This… is all thanks to you.”
“Because of the name?”
“No. Thanks to you, the Eunhae Merchant Group earned something more valuable than money.”
Father looked at me seriously.
“Trust. In the elixir business… trust is everything.”
I let out a chuckle.
Because of this whole incident… our merchant group had gained something more precious than anything else.
Trust.
–TL Notes–
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